The Lyon Tattoo
by Seriously-Undesirable
Summary: *DISCLAIMER - NOT AN OQ FAN FIC* - This is the way I feel Once Upon a Time should have been written.
1. Prologue

'Why are you doing this?' a tear stained roundish face screamed at a dark towering figure, who grinned as if they'd just pulled of the most masterful stunt.

'Because,' the silk voice of the now visible woman started, 'this is _my_ happy ending.' she laughed from the back of her throat as she watched her ingenious plan unveil.

She hadn't been lying, this was her happy ending. Something she'd been thinking about for the past eighteen years, every detail had been meticulously planned and thought out, she wasn't going to let dear Snow White get away this time, she was finally going to get her well deserved revenge.

Between the heartbreaking sobs and the cackling from the two women, neither of them noticed the thick black smoke pouring its way through the castle. Before either of them had a chance to take a final breath – darkness.

There was a fresh smell of autumn filling the air and beautiful rays of sunshine beamed through the gap in between the two pleasantly grey curtains. Amongst the stunningly white sheets lay Regina Mills, a dark haired women with a face like a painting, not a flaw in sight other than a thin scar above her top lip which only added to the woman's breathtaking appearance.

She woke with a start, as if from some dream that she appeared to have been enjoying. She sat up, admiring her surroundings and studying each item in her room. She moved to the edge of the bed readying herself to stand up before she caught sight of her reflection in a nearby mirror. Her hands immediately shot up to her head and she ran all ten of her fingers through her silky hair.

'It's shorter than I would have thought,' she said out loud, although no one else seemed to be in the room, 'good job me.' she grinned barely all of her purely white teeth.

She jumped up with a sudden rush of excitement and began rummaging through her belongings as if she'd never seen them before despite them belonging to her. She admired the large wardrobe full of countless expensive dresses and suits and enough shoes to last her three years without having to wear a pair twice. She smiled again.

The moisture from the muddy ground had seeped through the raven haired woman's dress that looked as though it may have one been white but was now an off grey.

She flinched awake, breathing heavily as though she'd just awoke from a nightmare she was glad to be out of. She looked around, she did not recognise her surroundings, nor did know what time of day it was. The tip of the sun's head was just making itself seen over the top of the trees in front of her. She clambered up, wiping the mud from her palms on her filthy dress. She stumbled forward in search of a way out.

She soon found a road which too was surrounded by trees on both sides. She followed the road for what felt like hours. Her feet were burning with blisters and her legs were aching. She stared up at the beaming sun, wiping a few new beads of sweat from her brow before continuing her journey.

'Excuse me, Miss?' called a familiar, male voice from behind Snow White.

She jumped, a wave of relief and excitement rushed over her. She spun around expecting to see the man she had nicknamed _'Charming',_ coming to save her. 'David! Where's Emma?' the last time she saw David he was carrying her new born child so a safe haven where she could escape the evil of their home.

'Hi, are you okay Miss?' Snow white did not understand why he insisted on addressing her as ' _Miss'_ instead of her actual name.

She began her unbelievable story of waking up in the middle of what seemed to be a forest, though she did not recognise it, '… and I finally found this road and I've been following it for hours, oh David, thank goodness you found me, who knows what I would have done. Where is Emma?' she painfully through her arms around the man's neck and hugged him tightly. He didn't moved, nor did he answer her question about their daughter.

'Um, Miss, I think there has been some confusion,' he begun, peeling her bruised arms from around him, 'why don't I take you to a hospital? My cars just through here.' he gestured to a small side road that Snow White had otherwise missed, and followed him to a straightly shaped cage, though it did not have bars, but it did have big pieces of glass mysteriously saying in place without even a single piece of rope or soldering.

'What is _that?_ ' she gasped, she was very unsure of the whole situation and it was beginning to make her feel uneasy. 'David, I don't understand.' she had stopped about four feet away from the strange contraption and was slowly inching her way back to the open road.

'It's okay, it's okay' David soothed, he grabbed what could only be seen as a misshaped handle on the side of the thing he called a _car._ 'This is my _car'_ he over emphasised the word car as if Snow White had simply misheard him the first time and the new found clarity of the correct pronunciation was somehow going to settle her nerves.

He pulled on the handle and a piece of the car fell off. She gasped again, jumping back another three feet.

'It's okay.' he soothed again, and this time it did ease Snow's nerves. She edges towards the freshly made hole David was gesturing to and she climbed unsteadily in. He returned the broken piece and it seemed to fit back okay with a good shove. David hurried round the front of the car to opposite where Snow was sitting, where he seemed to tear another chunk of the car off and replace it just the same as he had done for Snow.

He played with a ring of keys for a second before pushing it into a smaller box with a big wheel sticking out. The car vibrated into life, lights both inside and out of it beamed and it began to roll quickly picking up speed. This made Snow's stomach churn and she grabbed the edge of her seats for dear life.

David noticed her change in behaviour and spoke gently, 'I'm going to take you to a hospital, okay?' Snow nodded, the way the car was responding to David's different movements lead her to believe he had at least some control of the thing which settled her.

It wasn't long before the car stopped again. Snow was led into a big white building where she was attended to by many different men and women in white outfits. This strange place was very different from that of the enchanted forest she grew up in and now as an adult ruled.

The enchanted forest for the most part was a peaceful land, Snow had had her fair share of royalty but she'd also experienced a more common life. After her father died, the Evil Queen forced her out of her home and she became homeless and moneyless and wanted dead by the most powerful woman in the land, the Evil Queen, but Snow knew her as Regina.

She married Snow's father shortly after Snow's mother had died. Regina was once kind and very beautiful, but she was deeply unhappy and it turned her heart black. She loathed Snow White and a fire started in her heart, fuelled only by the hatred in her blood and the loneliness in her soul.

But everything was different here.


	2. Another Banner Year

* _some time later, in Boston_ *

Emma Swan returned to a deafening silence that made her dreadful experience in the restaurant earlier that night almost missable. She pried off her six inch heels and slumped into the kitchen, dumped the now crumbled up brown paper bag and fell into the red leather stool tucked neatly under the counter. She took a breath, trying to exhale some of the stress from her day. She reached into the draw a few inches to her left, rummaged for a moment and then pulled out a small box of matches. She drew the brown bag nearer and extracted a small vanilla cupcake topped with a glorious dollop of blue frosting, and a candle. She poked the end of the candle into the cake, lit the wick poking out of the glittering blue star and pondered. She thought for a second, wondering if making a wish when you are alone and also have no friends was a little childish. Regardless she closed her eyes, thought of her wish and blew.

"Another banner year." she sighed, picked out the candle that now had a small stream of grey smoke coming off the top and threw it in the nearby bin. She licked the frosting off of her finger and to her delight it was just the way she'd remembered it as a kid.

She picked up the cake, her mouth drooling slightly, her dinner date was cut short meaning her stomach aching hungrily. She peeled back the paper casing, ready to take the first bite of her twenty-eight birthday cake when -

There was a knock at the door.

She defeatedly dropped her cake back down onto the counter and made for the door.

She opened it wide, but there didn't appear to be anyone standing in front of her. She looked up and down the long stretch of corridor in search of young teenagers trying to play a joke, but instead she was met with emptiness. In a slight state of confusion she looked down. There, about about a foot and a half shorter than she was stood a young dark haired boy.

"Are you Emma Swan?" he asked smiling.

"Yeah… who are you?" she really didn't have any idea what on earth was going on, it was definitely too earlier for trick or treaters and he wasn't even dressed up.

"I'm Henry, I'm your son."


	3. Long Night Ahead

"My – my what?" Emma stumbled, "I don't have a son."

"Ten years ago, did you give up a baby boy for adoption?" she nodded feebly, "That's me." he smiled again and proceeded under her arm and into her small flat. "Do you got any juice? Oh don't worry, found some." he called from some where in her kitchen.

She fell against the wall of her hallway, her mouth hanging open in shock. Her son? _He_ was _her_ son?

She traced back into the kitchen after Henry, who was now sat on her stool drinking straight from a carton of orange juice, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve after a long sip.

He was short and round faced, a few of his teeth were missing and gradually being replaced with growing adult teeth. His hair was dark, considerably darker than that of Emma's blonde curls. His was straighter than hers too and very dark brown. He gazed up at her, half expecting a new moment between the two of them to occur. But staring into his big hazel eyes that although dissimilar to hers in colour, had the same shape and roundness, coursed a warm well to pour inside of her as she looked down at her son, _her_ son. She looked away, slightly panicked. She couldn't get attached to this kid, she couldn't keep him like he was a stray puppy that had wondered in from the streets, he was somebodies _kid_. Emma tried to ignore a small voice inside of her saying _'hers'_.

"Where are you from? Do you parents know you are here?"she stumbled for a topic of conversation and he was clearly alone, Emma didn't want to have a runaway on her hands.

"Forty-fourth not telling you street." he grinned, a smile that reminded Emma very much of a young man she met ten years ago...

Emma was stuck, she couldn't kick him out, it was already getting dark outside and god knows where his home was. She had to think quickly before he got too comfortable in her only chair.

"Fine, don't wanna tell me? I'll just have to call the police." she lied, picking up the phone in an attempt at seeming intimidating. She worked with criminals for a living, grew up on the streets and she was being won over by a ten year old?

"No you won't" he grinned again, Emma ignored the memories flooding in her head at the sight of Henry's expression.

"Oh really, and whys that?" she'd definitely have him here, why shouldn't she call the police? He was clearly a run away.

"Because I'll tell them you kidnapped me." he was still grinning and the sight of his slightly smug gappy smile was beginning to annoy her.

"And they'll believe you because-"

"Because you're my birth mother." he jumped off of the stool and pushed it back into its place under the counter with his foot. He replaced the now half empty carton of orange juice back on its shelf in the fridge and turned to look at Emma. "So, where am I staying?"

"Oh no," Emma was definitely having to stump out the want to keep him now, "you aren't staying here. Come on, I'm taking you home." she moved for the door expecting him to follow suit. He stayed still. "Come on."

"Please don't make me go." his silly grin had disappeared and was replaced by a face that was more begging than anything else. "Please don't make me go back there."

"Why?"

"Because," Henry paused, as if trying to come up with something, "because my mum, she doesn't love me, she's _evil!_ "

"Out, _now_."

Emma almost resorted to half dragging the kid out before he finally, reluctantly, decided to leave her apartment. He sulked to her car, dragging his backpack and walking unnecessarily loudly in an expression of annoyance. It was clear that Emma had shattered his hopes of coming to live with his birth mother and escape his _evil_ adoptive mum. Emma remembered being a young girl in foster care dreaming of being adopted. Could his mother really be that bad?

The started the engine of her rusting, sunflower yellow Beetle and began to drive.

"So come on kid, where do you live?" she asked, pulling out into the quiet road outside her apartment building.

"Maine," he said, staring down at his shoes in disappointment, "Storybrooke, Maine."

" _Storybrooke?_ " Emma asked in complete disbelief, he was lying again?

"Yeah." he said looking up.

"Can I tell you a secret Henry?" he nodded "I have a super power, I can tell when anybody is lying. So don't try any more, okay? Now tell me, where do you live?"

"I'm not lying, I live in Storybrooke, Maine. Use your super power!" Emma had to admit he did seem to be telling the truth.

They had been driving for almost half an hour before anyone spoke again.

"What's that you got there?" Emma asked, gesturing at a large brown book Henry was badly trying to read discreetly.

He looked up at her with squinted eyes, as if studying her facial expression for some hidden clue to her question. "Mmm, you aren't ready." he stated finally taking his eyes off of Emma and looking back at his tattered book.

Emma read the gold letter on the front that curled and looped for four the words ' _Once Upon A Time'._ "What? For some old fairy tales?" she was a little unclear of what there was to be ready about.

" _These_ aren't just fairy tales." he said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious.

"What do you mean?"

"Every story that is written in this book, is true." he said, looking directly at her, unblinking as if to not miss her response.

"Yeah right." she scoffed.

"See, I told you you weren't ready." he said knowingly.

"I told you to stop lying kid."

"I'm not lying, go on use your super power." Emma looked at his, he was telling the truth, but of course they couldn't be true, they were called fairy tales for a reason, people's lives don't really end in Happily Ever After. She turned her attention back to the road, he wasn't lying but of course he wasn't telling the truth. "See, I told you."

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true." she added, sort of off handedly.

"That's exactly what makes it true." he stated whole heartedly. Emma looked at him, at her son, for a long moment before changing gear and staring out into the long dark road.

"This is going to be a long night." she sighed.


	4. The Biggest House On The Block

Emma had only been to Maine once about five years ago when she was travelling round the country with an old boyfriend. She followed the road signs and hoped that her memories could take them most of the way. She stopped once or twice at gas stations and service stops to ask for the next set of directions for their journey. About 30 miles into Maine she saw a small sign pointing to a side road that she didn't recognise to have been there the last time she was here, reading in almost completely faded letter ' _Storybrooke, Maine_ _–_ _6_ _miles_ _'_ _._ She made a sharp turn, the dullness of the silver letters causing her to almost miss the turning completely.

The next road was considerably thinner than the motorways they had been on for the most part of their journey. It was long and winding, surrounded completely by trees. Just under ten minutes later, the lights on Emma's rusty, old bug revealed the sign embroidered in white letters ' _Welcome to Storybrooke'._

Even though Emma knew that Henry hadn't been lying about where he lived, she was still a little surprised that this place was even real. she'd never seen it on any maps and she certainly didn't see it five years ago. It was like this whole town was build out of sight.

It wasn't long before the town had revealed itself and Emma was surrounded by buildings instead of towering trees. The town seemed small and homely. It had been raining so everything was covered in a layer of water.

"How about an address?" Emma asked, peering around to try and find some street names.

"Forty-fourth -"

Emma stopped the car so abruptly that it sent them both flying forward. She got out of the car and slammed the door. She looked around, there was an unnecessary feeling of annoyance growing inside of her.

She heard the door on Henry's side open and then close. She turned around to see him walking towards her. "Come on kid, it's been a long time. Just tell me where you live so I can get you home. Come on it's almost," she looked up at the clock tower she'd noticed on the way in, "8:15?" that definitely wasn't right.

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life." he said, joining her by the side of the car and leaning against it crossed armed. "Times frozen here, the Evil Queen did it with her curse."

"If this place really is cursed then why doesn't everybody just leave?" there seemed to be no chance of encouraging Henry to drop his fantasy, so Emma attempted reasoning.

"Because if they do bad things happen to them."

"Well you left, why didn't anything bad -"

"Henry!" they were interrupted by the voice of a man calling toward them from across the street. He trotted over, followed closely by his spotty black and white dog. "Henry what are you doing here?" he attention shifted to the strange woman standing with Henry. "And who's this?" he asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

"Don't worry Archie, she'd my mum." Henry beamed, but Emma felt a surge on awkwardness.

"I'm just taking him home, do you know where he lives?" she asked, desperately trying to take the attention off of her.

"Yeah, it's just down Mifflin road, the Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block, you can't miss it." he gestured down the road he had ventured from.

"You're the Mayor's kid?" she exclaimed.

"Um, yeah." Henry winced, looked down at the ground.

"Henry, where were you today? I thought you were supposed to come by for our session?" Archie crouched down, stroking his dog as he spoke.

Henry suddenly shifted, obviously trying to come up with an excuse that wasn't close to the truth of travelling all the way to Boston on his own. "Oh, yeah, I had a field trip I forgot to tell you about." he attempted.

Archie moved closer, he had undoubtedly seen straight through Henry's weak lie. "Henry, what have I told you about lying? Giving into ones dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Okay." Emma interjected, whoever this guy was, therapist or not, he was weird, and she wanted to get home.

"Well, I really should be getting him home." she smiled falsely.

"Okay," Archie said standing up again, "Be safe Henry."

"He doesn't seem very cursed to me." Emma said, after waiting a moment or two after Archie had walked a good distance away.

"That's because he doesn't know. None of them do, none except for me." He moved back round the car and into his seat.

"Okay, I'll play along. Who's he supposed to be then?" Emma asked doing the same.

"Jiminy Cricket."

"Oh, right, the lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit." she buckled up her seat belt and checked Henry had done the same.

"I'm not Pinocchio." he grunted.

"Of course not, because that would be ridiculous!" she exclaimed sarcastically, putting the car into gear and beginning to drive off down the road towards the sign reading _Mifflin Road._

Archie had been right, there really was no missing this house. It was tall and grand, with white pillars propping up a magnificent balcony. There were four windows on either side of the large protruding door way, each and everyone of them had rather expensive looking mahogany window shutters.

"Woah." Emma let out under her breath, a little in shock that Henry was so desperate to run away from this place.

She got out and gestured for Henry to do the same, he did so, although rather begrudgingly. They walked down the impressive white pathway to the front of the now even bigger house, either side of the path laden with chunks of some type of flawlessly white rock, was an impeccable lawn, the greenest grass that Emma had certainly ever seen.

It look them a moment or two to walk down the unreasonably long path to the entrance. Henry stopped a few feet away from the steps into his house, he turned back to give Emma one last fleeting look before embarking on the last stretch of his miserable journey back to entrapment. He knocked gently and then proceeded backwards to stand slightly behind Emma.

There was a scurry of footsteps coming from behind the door before it was wildly swung open. The man who open it was a young, tall, handsome man. He certainly looked too young to be Henry's adoptive father. He had a big metal badge pinned onto his right breast pocket that shined brightly in the porch light, _'Sheriff'._

"Hi," he began, looking at little confusingly at Emma, wondering who she was. Then a moment of realisation took over his face as he saw Henry hidden behind her. "Henry!" he said jerking forward, "Regina, he's here, Henry's come home!" he called to someone within the house.

Less that a second later a short, slim woman with short brown hair came stumbling out. Even in the dark night's light Emma could see that she had been crying, this must be have been Henry's mother.

"Henry?" she called before she had straightened herself up, "who are you?" she definitely was not expecting to see Henry accompanied by anyone.

"She's my real mum!" Henry shouted, breaking free from the tight grip Regina had on his shoulders and running in through the front door, passed a rather confused looking Sheriff.

"You're Henry's birth mother?" Regina said looking up, wiping a few new tears from the corners of her eyes.

Emma suddenly felt a surge of awkwardness,. She felt as though she made barged in on an on going argument.

"Hi." she smiled feebly, although she later worried that her weak attempt at a smile was translated as an uncomfortable grimace.


	5. The Wolf In The Road

There was a long, very awkward pause as both Emma and Regina stood facing each other, a few feet of space between them.

Regina was very beautiful, Emma thought, looking over her features she spotted the faint scar on her top lip. She stared for a second, wondering what sort of injury would bring about a scar as unusual as Regina's.

Emma's mind flashed back to a friend she had had when she was a little older than Henry, she too had an unusual scar, hers was a star on her wrist.

Regina had been standing, mouth open, goggling in shock at the blond in front of her, her brown eyes red and puffy and fixed on Emma's own green ones.

Then, as if a shock of electricity had shot up Regina's spine, she straightened up. Her expression shifted from one of shock and sadness to something very business like.

"Hello, my name's Regina, I'm Henry's mother." she smiled politely.

"Emma, Emma Swan." she replied, trying to ignore the awkwardness bleeding through her.

"Well Miss Swan, how would you like to try some of the best apple cider this side of Maine?"

However grand the Mayor's house appeared from the outside, it was nothing compared to the magnificent interior structure. The staircase was beautifully positioned so that it encircled the entrance hall that's size was closer to that of a town hall. Emma traced Regina's steps, trying hard to concentrate her attention on where she was going instead of the inside of a stranger's house.

She was lead into a room that somehow seemed even larger than the entrance hall. It was lined with a sort of paper forest. Black and white paint intertwined magically to reveal tall, dark trees that repeated continuously over each wall. She sat down at a deep grey couch, and watched as Regina bent over into a small cupboard and pulled out two glass tumblers. She placed them down on a small glass coffee table that was situated between the cabinet and the couch. She filled the two glasses and proceeded to sit opposite Emma, glass in hand.

"So, Miss Swan." she began, taking a small sip and gesturing to Emma to do the same, "you've met Henry, isn't he lovely?" there was a definite degree of falseness in her smile.

"Yeah, he seems like a good kid." Emma sipped, it definitely was good apple cider.

"He is, I've raised him to be."

"You know, it's funny," Emma began, smiling to herself as she recalled the events of the previous evening, "today's my birthday, and I made a wish, it's silly I know, but I wished not to be alone on my birthday, and then Henry knocked on my door."

Regina put her glass down, dropping all hints at sincerity and suddenly becoming very serious. "Miss Swan, I want to make this very clear. You may be Henry's birth mother, but you have no rights to him, you gave them up the moment you gave him away."

Emma sat still for a moment. Despite the truth in what Regina had just said, it didn't mean that it didn't sting a little.

"I didn't, I know I don't" she stuttered, a little taken aback.

"Good." Regina finished, placing her barely touched apple cider back down on a coaster on the table.

There was a noise from behind, the young man who had answered the door stumbled in slightly.

"Ah, Graham." Regina stood up, straightening the skirt of her perfectly ironed dress as she did.

"Henry's in bed, he was very tired." Graham had a chin covered in stubble and an accent from somewhere in England.

"Sheriff Graham, do you think it would be possible to escort Miss Swan to her car? It is getting awfully late." Regina smiled very business like, gesturing to Emma, who was still sat on the couch, tumbler in hand.

"Of course." Graham replied, smiling at Regina and then Miss Swan, silently waiting for her to get up to be escorted out.

Emma placed the tumbler make down onto the spotless table, intentionally missing the coaster than had been neatly set out for her. She made for the door, but before she had passed through behind Graham, she was stopped.

"Oh, and Miss Swan, I would advise you not to make your stay here in Storybrooke a long one." despite the calm tone Emma couldn't help but feel threatened. Nevertheless, she got back to her car, slammed the door and started the engine.

"I wouldn't want to stay here with you anyway." she muttered under her breath as she pulled out into the door and began tracing her journey back to her home in Boston.

As she passed the clock tower she looked up through her side door window. It was still fixed on 8:15 despite the hour that had passed since she last looked. The journey back through the town seemed a lot longer without Henry in the car next to her, but still before she'd realised she was following the narrow, forest road out of Storybrooke.

She looked at the now empty seat next to her, trying to suppress the want of having Henry with her. Although she hadn't raised Henry, or seen him for ten years, she couldn't help but listen to the nagging coming from within her heart. Emma was trying to ignore the thoughts of reasons to turn back as she saw the sign reading _'Leaving Storybrooke'_.

Then, as if by magic, she saw, concealed under the passenger seat of her rusty, yellow bug, the storybook Henry had been reading on the way over. She smiled to herself, moving to pick up the brown, leather bound book.

"Clever boy." she mused and she lifted it onto the dash board, smiling as she turned to change gear and turn around. When there, in the middle of the road, stood a giant, silver wolf.

Emma swerved, panic over flooding through her body and her instincts kicking in. The car rolled off of the road and straight into the big metal sign. The whole car slammed forward, the force propelling her body forward and wiping it back, revealing a deep bruise and a flowing trickle of blood dribbling down the side of her face over her temple bone as grey smoke streamed from either side of her crumple bonnet.


	6. Henry's Castle

Emma woke with a start, and a splitting pain in the left side of her head. She rolled over, completely unaware of her surroundings as she pushed herself up off of the cold metal slab she was been lying on.

"What?" she mumbled, rubbing the bump on her forehead.

"Good morning, sunshine." a rough voice called from somewhere around her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the new found brightness. She was sat in a small square room. One of the walls was comprised entirely by dark grey, iron bars. Emma was perhaps a little too familiar with rooms that resembled the one she had mysteriously found herself in, she was in a holding cell.

She looked up, suddenly remembering the voice she'd just heard call out to her. A few feet in front of her, in his own cell that exactly mirrored her own, stood a short, plump man. He was standing with both arms hanging limply through the bars that separated their two cells.

"What?" Emma squinted up at him, cupping her sore head.

"I said, _good morning, Sunshine._ " he grunted.

He slipped him arms back through the bars into his own room again, shoved him lazily into the pockets of his jeans and began to whistle, circling his cell, every so often throwing a side way glance at Emma. She recognised the tune he was whistling and he moved aimlessly round and round, but she couldn't place a name to it, as if it was so common, it had no need to be remembered.

There was a sound of shuffling feet from somewhere out of the room. Emma looked around, searching for a door or arch way, some way in or out. The room they were in was large, although the positioning of the two holding cells decreased the amount of available space considerably. There was two desks, although only one looked used. There was a pair of old tattered trains placed at the side of the light brown wooden desk, and an abundance of scattered paper work.

"Wakey wakey," called a familiar English voice from behind the door, "oh, everyone's up, I see you've met our new town guest Leroy." Graham said emerging through the newly found door, placing a container of pastries on the table. "I hope he's treating you well, Emma." he mused, walking forward to stand between the two cells.

"Why am I in here?" Emma interjected, in no mood for joking around.

"Drink driving." Graham stated, spinning around to give his full attention to Emma, "you were found by two dog walkers, passed out in your car on the side of the road."

"Drink driving? But I wasn't drunk?" sure she had had a sip of Regina's apple cider, but she definitely wasn't drunk, and she definitely wasn't over the limit. "I didn't crash because I had been drinking, it was because there was a great big wolf in the middle of the road, I had to swerve so I didn't hit it." after finishing her sentence she realised how bad of a lie that must have come across as.

"A wolf? In Maine? I don't think so. Maybe the Mayor's cider is a bit stronger than you thought?" Graham said, turning around to pick up a ring of keys.

"Do you know where my car is?" Emma asked after Graham let her out.

"Try the mechanics down the road, you can't miss it." he said with a smile, moving to return the big ring to it's peg.

"Aren't you going to let me out too?" Leroy called, in slight disbelief.

"Not until we've found it Leroy." Graham said with a failed attempt at threatening.

"Found what?" Emma asked, suddenly curious.

"Now that would be telling." Leroy replied, raising his eye brows and smirking.

She laughed slightly, and then proceeded for the door that Graham had come through.

"Um, Emma?" she heard Graham call from behind her, he was fiddling around with something that she couldn't see.

"Yeah?" she replied, a little annoyed and confused at his objection to her leaving, considering he had just released her.

"I need to take your photo and add it to the data books, please." he said, pulling the thing he was tinkering out of it's black material case. It was a large camera and stand.

He set it up quickly and filled out the plaque that he requested Emma held up for her mug shot. It wasn't the first mug shot she had ever had, and it certainly wasn't for the worst thing she'd ever done. After a few clicks and flashes, the long moment of embarrassment was over and she was free to go. Although where, she wasn't sure. She didn't exactly know the place and she didn't have a car now either. She made her way down the road, hoping to come across the mechanics that Graham had informed her of. She had made it about fifteen yards down the road before she felt the tug of small hands of the sleeve of her red leather jacket.

She wiped around, half expecting to catch someone in the act of badly trying to pick pocket, but she was met, instead, with a grinning round faced boy.

"Henry." she sighed, feeling that she should have seen that one coming.

"I knew you'd stay." he said, flinging his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly.

"Woah," she said, prying his arm off of her, "I'm only here because my car needs fixing, don't get any ideas." she stated, trying to stamp out any fantasies Henry might be concocting of having a return trip to Boston, or a new mum.

"What happened to you car?" he asked, moving next to her and beginning to walk with her down the road to the mechanics.

"I, uh," she paused, wondering whether to mention the wolf, or the drinking, "I got into a little crash, no big deal no one was hurt. Well, no one expect my car." she sighed at the thought of her beloved beetle crumpled like an old crisp packet.

"See!" Henry exclaimed, as if he had been hoping for news of some sort of disaster, "See? Do you believe me _now?_ Do you believe me about the curse? I told you, when people try to leave, bad things happen." he finished triumphantly, with a little more pep in his step.

"I'm sure it had nothing to do with the curse Henry."

"Well why else would you have crashed as you were trying to leave then?"

"It was just an accident kid, nothing to do with this curse, okay?" she was already feeling silly enough about the wolf, without the added reasoning of a curse.

"Say what you want, you'll believe me soon enough." he said, walking slightly ahead and into a building with a big red and green neon sign saying _'Granny's Diner'._

"Uh, Henry?" she called, jogging to keep up with him as he entered the diner, "shouldn't you be getting to school?"

"School, doesn't start til 8:30, it's only 8:17." he said, sliding onto one of the red leather stools at the counter that reminded Emma very much of the ones she owned at her own flat in Boston. "And anyway, you can walk me there after." he beamed staring up at Emma who had joined him on a stool to his right. "A hot chocolate please, Ruby." he called to a young girl stood at the other end of the tills.

She looked up, saw Henry and advanced forward, picking up a metal shaker from the side. "Cream and cinnamon on top?" she smiled. She was young, but very tall, and she was beautiful long dark hair that had streaks of red running through it. She had a long attractive face and a very genuine smile. She poured Henry's hot chocolate and topped it with the dollop of cream and a shake of cinnamon. She slid it towards him with and wink and said "Should I put it on your tap?"

He took a long swig from the delicious looking hot drink and then smiled at her with a thick layer of cream of his top lip.

"Look Henry," Emma began, she didn't want to have an awkward conversation when she left, so she decided to try and put out any of the flames of hope that might be growing inside Henry. "When my car is fixed, I'm going to go back to Boston. I'm not staying, okay?"

The smile on his face faltered slightly, but he tried to hide it. "You'll stay, I know you will." Emma wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Emma or himself and it sent a shot of sadness to her heart.

She smiled slightly and then looked down at her watch, it was 8:25. "We'd better get you off to school, kid." she said, sliding off the stool and picking up the bag that Henry had slung on the counter next to him.

He follow suit, taking his bag off of Emma and throwing it over his shoulder and making for the door. Their walk to Henry's school was mostly quiet, and Emma found herself following Henry for most of the way because she realised she hadn't any idea where anything in this town was.

The gate of the school came into view as they rounded the last corner, it was full of swarming children and their tired looking parents.

"That's my teacher, over there!" Henry stated, pointing an out stretched finger at a short, long, dark haired woman wearing a button up green cardigan. "I better get going. Meet me here after school? My class is going to the hospital to put decorations, so come at 5." Henry smiled, jogging backwards as he beamed at Emma, before turning round and making his way to the front gate, waving at the woman in the green cardigan, who then shifted her attention to Emma.

She walked towards Emma, smiling. "Hi, I'm Henry's teacher." she smiled, her accent more English than Sheriff Graham's, obvious to find out who the mysterious woman was dropping a pupil of hers off at school.

"Hi, I'm Emma, I'm Henry's," she paused, a little unsure of who to introduce herself, "birth mother."

"Oh, yes," the smile on her tanned face changed from forced to relieved. "Yes, he seems a lot happier, than that you are here."

"What do you mean? Was he not happy before?" Emma asked, a wave of maternal worry flooding through her.

"Well, he's been a bit down recently, even today, just seeing him smiling on his way into school, it's not something I've seen for months." she looked down, it was clear this woman cared a lot about Henry.

"Well, I'm glad. I just hope he doesn't take my leaving too hard."

"You, aren't staying?" she asked, suddenly seeming rather confused.

"No, well, I wasn't even supposed to be here, I was just supposed to drop Henry home and then leave. But there was an accident and now I have to wait until my car is fixed before I can go anyway."

"Oh, you should try Marine Garage, they always do a good job on my car and they don't price too bad either, there just down that street, if you take the first left, you won't miss it."

Emma smiled and proceeded on her way to see the extent of the damage on her car. The more people she spoke to, the more apparent it was becoming that everyone in town seemed to know each other.

It wasn't long before Emma saw a big sign reading _'Marines Garage'._

"Excuse me?" she called to the back of a man who was bent over in the bonnet of her rusty, yellow bug. "Excuse me." she repeated, a little louder, she was already having to shout over the buzzing sound of metal upon metal coming from somewhere further in the shop.

Her shout had startled hi, he shot up, hitting his head of the top of the bonnet, rubbing the spot where it hit he turning around to face Emma.

"Hello, sorry, I'm Michael, how can I help you?" the man was young, but he had deep lines in his face that were filled with dirt and what looked like motor oil.

"Hi, my name's Emma, I think that's my car?" she gestured to the car behind them that Michael had just been working on. "I just came to see how long it would be until I can take her home." Emma didn't have much, but her car was something she'd had since she was a young girl, and it was one of the few things she could rely on.

"She'd pretty old, she's got a few lumps and bumps," he said, moving to survey the car. "But she should be drivable by this evening. Say, about 8?"

Emma was filled with joy that she'd be able to get back home tonight, but a part of her was filled with a deep sadness that she'd be leaving Henry.

"Yeah, I'll be round to pick it up then."

Emma came to realise just how little she knew the town as she wondered around aimlessly, desperately waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around. She found herself dipping in and out of shops, trying to find something to engage herself in. She ended up returning to Granny's Diner and staying there for the remainder of the after noon, flicking through the news paper unnaturally slow, trying her hardest to make it last. When the large, round clock on the wall above the counter hit 4:45, she jumped up and made her way to Henry's school. When she had reached the front gates of the school, she could just see a group of young children emerging through the front doors. Among them was a skipping Henry, who immediately sped up at the sight of Emma.

"Hi." he skidding to a halt just in time to avoid a collision with his birth mother.

"How was school?" she asked, as they began to make there was down the road.

"It was okay. We visited the hospital. Hey Emma," he slowed down almost to a stop, "do you think you're ready to know more about the book?" he had stopped walking now and was look incredibly seriously up at Emma.

"Uh, yeah, sure kid." although she thought the whole storybook thing was complete nonsense, she could tell that it meant a lot to Henry.

"Good," he said, breaking back into walk and smiling again. "I'll take you to the park I go to sometimes after school, we can talk about it there."

After three right turns, two lefts and down a long narrow alley way that Henry insisted was a short cut although Emma was not sure what about this alley way was short, they reached a small park that looked as though it had been forgotten some time ago, that backed onto a beach.

The weather was rapidly declining, it had shifted from light and breezy to darkening and windy on their way there, and Emma was sure she had felt droplets of rain a few steps back.

"This is it," Henry said, rather as though he was revealing some master piece that had only taken him a life-time to construct, "this is my castle." he turned around to face Emma, most definitely to try and catch the astonished look he was most likely expecting to appear on Emma face any time soon. It did not.

"Your what?" she asked, a little confused, there was some kind of wooden structure a little behind Henry, but she wouldn't go as far to call it a shed let alone a castle.

Henry slapped his previously raised arms down on the sides of his thighs. " _My castle._ " he repeated with a little more emphasise this time before spinning round and launching himself at the wooden beams in a very childish manner than made Emma's heart smile.

"Oh, your _castle,_ " Emma added, the surge of maternal love had promoted a sense of imagination, "I must have misheard." she mumbled before following suit.

Both Emma and even Henry were much too large to be playing on a small child's play house, so they both silently agreed it would be best and safest to perch with their legs swinging idly off of the end of the north tower.

"So," Henry said rather abruptly, "I have something top secret to tell you, but I'm not sure if you're ready." he paused. "Are you ready?" he asked firmly, clearly he was yearning for some more enthusiasm,

"Uh- yeah, yes, I am ready." Emma added, a little taken aback at the sudden seriousness of their conversation.

"It's time we spoke about the book," he opened the book suddenly to a page with a beautifully illustrated painting of a man and a woman standing closely their cheeks pressed tightly together. "This is Snow White and Prince Charming." despite the light-hearted topic of what Henry was talking about, there was no trace of amusement on his face. "Today, when I was in the hospital, I found him." he stopped, surveying Emma face, clearing searching for any indication of Emma's thoughts on the matter.

"You, found him?" Emma repeated.

"Yes. I found him. He's at the hospital, but he's unconscious. We need to save him." he stated. Looking deadly serious as he stared into Emma's eyes.

"Save him?" she said after a long pause, "Save him from what? I think it's best to do leave this one for the doctor's Henry." she added cautiously, she didn't want to upset Henry, but she also didn't want to get his hopes up unnecessarily either.

"He's trapped by the curse!" he exclaimed, it was evident that this was not the reaction he was hoping for.

"Henry, I know you think this curse is real-"

"It is _real!_ " he exclaimed, slipping off of the edge of the play house, landing in a small puddle that was growing steadily deeper as the rain began to fall. "Look, I know you don't believe me yet, but you will soon, you will believe, I know it." there was a new hopeful air about him at his last words. He readjusted his backpack and gripping the brown leather bound book with both hands before starting off down the street again.

"Okay, so, if we could, how would be go about saving the guy?" Emma asked, rushing to catch up with her son.

"True loves kiss can break any curse." he stated, hope being replaced by determination.

"Okay," Emma paused, "and how are we going to do that?"

"We need to find Snow White."


	7. Unintentional Hurt

**_Starting to do the Chapters a little longer and hopefully better, that's why there has been a slight delay in the updating of each chapter, sorry :/_**

"Snow White? _Henry!_ " Emma stood still for a moment before she followed her son down the path leading away from the park.

"It's okay, I know where to find her!" he called behind him without looking back.

It took then fifteen minutes before they had reached the Mayor's house on Mifflin Street.

"Okay Henry, here you go." Emma said with a departing smile. "Henry," she stopped him before he had let go of the brass knocker, "I'm going home tonight." she felt her stomach begin to churnch with anxiety about how Henry might react.

His smile faulted slightly, "No you won't," he smiled quickly.

"Henry," Emma sighed. "Henry, I can't stay here forever." she stated, although she was increasingly finding herself wanting to.

"Please don't go," his cheery façade had vanished and he hurried over to Emma, pleading with her to stay, "Please don't go, she's evil," he paused, his gaze shifted him Emma to his shoes and his voice dropped an octave "she doesn't love me." there was a sudden sadness in his voice that Emma had not expected.

"Henry?" Regina exclaimed from the door way, "where have you been? Do you know how late it is?" Henry turned around, wiping the sad expression off of his face in an instant.

"Ah, I thought you might be behind this." she said, folding her arms and proceeding towards the path where Emma and Henry was stood. "Henry, go inside." she waited until Henry could be heard clambering up the stairs to continue, "What did I tell you?" she glared.

"I was just taking him home, Regina." Emma stated in a friendly but affirmative sort of way, she had not done anything but ensure Henry's safe journey home.

"Stay away from my son." she wiped around and began to follow Henry into the house.

"Wait," Emma called, an unexpected rush to prolong their conversation came over her, "I just need to know he's happy."

"Of course he's happy." there was a deeply offended look on Regina's face and in her voice.

"Do you love him?" the words had rolled out of Emma's mouth before she even had time to think.

"Look here," Regina stormed over to Emma until their noses were almost touching, "I don't know what you are trying to do here, but he is _my_ son."

"I know, I'm not trying to do anything." Emma replied, a little breathlessly. "He's sees a shrink." there was a note of pleading in her voice as she edged away from Regina's face.

Regina stepped back. Something flashed across her face but as soon as it was there it was gone and Emma couldn't seem to decipher it.

"Why don't we talk about this tomorrow, say 5 o'clock, my office? I really must be getting off, Henry needs his dinner after his home work is finished." Emma nodded and Regina swept away seamlessly.

Emma stood staring at the now closed door for a few long moments before turning and making her way down the street to pick up her nearly fixed, rusty, yellow bug. It took her longer than it had the first time because she took a wrong turning at the end of Mifflin street.

Once she had finally reached the open garage at a little past 8:30, she climbed into her bug, started the engine, and set off down the road. She had not had any intention of staying, she was not even supposed to be here this long, but the longing in her heart to stay longer with Henry, and even the odd sensation to see Regina again was compelling her to stay another night. The want to stay was pulling her back but her knowledge of needing to leave was propelling her to go back to her cosy flat in Boston, the confusion of feelings lead her back to Granny's Diner.

She opened the door with a familiar echo of the bell on top of the door. Emma walked over the counter where her and Henry had been sat just that morning, and called for someone to serve her.

"What can I get you, miss?" smiled the same brunette that had brought Henry his hot cocoa earlier.

"Just a coffee, please." Emma smiled, pulling out a bundle of dollar bills from the back pocket of her jeans and placing it on the table. Ruby scooped them up and proceeded over to give Emma her change, and then disappeared for a moment, before returning with a mug full of steaming coffee.

Ruby was very pretty, with long thin legs that supported what looked like a nicely toned body. Her hair reached the bottom of her back, although Emma was unsure that she liked the streaks of red. She stared at her for a moment whilst she fiddled with the filter on the coffee machine, pondering her plans for the rest of the evening. She had told Henry she was going home, but she knew it would upset him as much as it would do her if she went without a proper good bye, she had also managed to book a meeting with Regina tomorrow. Three quarters through her coffee she decided, she was going to stay, but only for a week, she could send a message back to Boston and have some clothes sent over to keep her going.

"Excuse, um, Ruby is it?" Emma called once she had drained her coffee mug.

"Hi," Ruby return, smiling politely.

"Is there anywhere near here that I can stay? Like a hotel, or something." Emma added nervously at the end, a sudden panic flooded through her at the worry Ruby might mistake her question as a proposition.

"You're in luck Miss," called an older woman with puffy grey hair from the other end of the counter, "welcome to Granny's Diner, which is also Granny's Bed and Breakfast." she recited, beaming with her thick fists resting on her plump hips, Emma had the impression that this woman had been longing to say those words for some time now.

"Great, could you show me the way to room?"

"Of course, if you just follow me we will get you settled in." she smiled widely again and moved down a passage Emma hadn't noticed before.

The room that she found herself entering was very homely. It had painted red walls and a small counter with a board of keys hanging behind it.

"Could I take a name, Miss?" the woman asked.

"Swan, Emma Swan."

"Emma?" called a deep, unfamiliar voice from behind them.

Emma wiped around to see a handsome, older man who looked between Emma's own age and that of the woman serving her. He had shoulder length, dark grey hair that was unnaturally straight, although Emma doubted that he used product on it. He was wearing a smart, crisp, pine stripped suit that was very dull except for the perfectly knotted red tie.

"What a beautiful name." he added, the corner of his mouth twitching into what could be translated as a smile.

"Mr Gold, we will have the rent by the end of the week, it isn't due until Sunday." the woman serving Emma said so quickly and nervously Emma had trouble separating the words.

"I know," the name who seemed to go by the name of Mr Gold said politely. "Don't Worry, dear, I'm here on personal business, not financial." he said with a smirk before leaving swiftly out of a door to their left.

"I'm- I'm sorry," the woman fumbled, before shoving a set of key's into Emma's hands and mumbling, "Room 23, hope you have a good stay." and then exiting back through the passage her and Emma had previously entered through.

Emma's room was small but thankfully warm. She felt a sudden rush of exhaustion and had barely removed her red leather jacket and jeans before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next day went on slowly, Emma met with Henry in the morning, who was very grateful that she had in fact decided upon staying ("I knew you wouldn't leave."), and walked him to school again. But found herself rather clueless at what to do with the rest of her time. She wouldn't have time to repeat yesterday afternoon and walk Henry home again because Emma had arranged a meet with his mother, Regina. Emma found herself sticking to her room for most of the day, leaving to eat and retreat the daily news paper that featured a rather boring piece on the historical building in Storybrooke having a restoration, which Emma read nonetheless.

After an unneeded nap, Emma showered, dressed and made her way to the Mayor's house.

It wasn't long before she reached her destination and was glad to see that Regina was home so she didn't have to wait outside her house like an unwanted menace.

"Ah, Miss Swan." Regina greeted her in a new perfectly fitting skirt and blazer.

"You wanted to meet?" Emma stated rather than asked, she knew that it was in fact her that wanted to meet but was keen on keeping up her nonchalant façade.

"Yes, you wanted to discuss Henry?" she asked politely, again more of a statement than a question. Emma smiled in agreement and followed Regina through the front door and back into the office she had been sat in two nights ago.

"What are you worries about my son, Miss Swan?" Regina smiled perching on the seat Emma had sat in previously, gesturing to the one opposite, Emma denied.

"Yes," for some unknown reason Emma found herself suddenly quite nervous. "I need to know he's okay."

"Well, of course he is okay, Miss Swan, what on earth gives you the impression he is not?"

"He's got a shrink, I don't know many ten year olds that need a shrink," she paused to take in a deep breathe, "and this fairy tale thing, it's crazy-"

"You think I'm crazy?" a quiet voice asked from behind them.

An icy stream ran through Emma's veins as she turned around to see Henry standing with his school bag slumped at his feet, a tear threatening to fall in the corner of his eye. "Henry, I-" she jerked forward, feeling like she had just missed the bottom step on a staircase.

Before she could reach him he had turned and run straight through the open door and out of sight.

The nervous feeling was instantly replaced with rage as she turned to see a rather pleased looking Regina behind her.

"You. You knew this would happen." Emma's fists where trembling, hurting Henry was the last thing she wanted to do, despite only having known Henry for two days, she felt an unmistakeable love for him.

"What, I knew that Henry comes to meet me at my office at 5 every Wednesday after school to have dinner at Granny's before his appointment with Archie? Of course I did. _I'm his mother."_ Regina's emphasis on those last three words stung Emma a little too much.


End file.
